Barton, of course, is a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers. Before he came to Portland as a second-round draft pick in 2012, he was Conference USA Player of the Year for Memphis.

That same year, Steen was completing her senior year with the Tigers. And yes, she knew Barton, or at least of him.

"Nice guy," Steen said. "Everyone in Memphis really liked him."

Steen, who describes herself as a "huge sports fan," attended Tigers basketball games when she was able and well remembers Barton's great play and athleticism.

"It was funny, because he's so like lanky, you know what I mean?" she said. "Kind of like string-beany, but he gets it done."

Steen has gotten it done herself this year. She is playing in the Portland Classic, which starts Thursday at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, after earning a promotion from the Symetra Tour on Sunday, when she won for the third time this year.

The LPGA Tour has a provision that immediately grants a promotion to any player who wins three Symetra tournaments in a single year. Steen won the Guardian Retirement Championship in April and the Friends of Mission Charity Classic in May and played six tournaments with the promotion carrot dangling in front of her before catching it in the Eagle Classic in Richmond, Va., on Sunday.

"I thought about it a little bit, but not too much, because I was just out there trying to play good golf, and I had some good finishes in the last swing on Symetra, and then it all kind of came together in Richmond," she said.

After collecting her trophy at the award ceremony, Steen was told by a tour official that she could get into the Portland event, but would have to commit by Tuesday.

"So it's kind of a whirlwind, and you're trying to take it all in," Steen said. "It was just a great day."

Steen will make her third LPGA start this year. She qualified for the U.S. Women's Open (she missed the cut) and Monday qualified for the Marathon Classic in her native Ohio (tied for 32nd).